# Neural network models and deep learning - a primer for biologists

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1902.04704 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.04704/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Feb 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

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## Abstract (arXiv)

Originally inspired by neurobiology, deep neural network models have become a powerful tool of machine learning and artificial intelligence, where they are used to approximate functions and dynamics by learning from examples. Here we give a brief introduction to neural network models and deep learning for biologists. We introduce feedforward and recurrent networks and explain the expressive power of this modeling framework and the backpropagation algorithm for setting the parameters. Finally, we consider how deep neural networks might help us understand the brain's computations.